


From Now On

by Merlocked18



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Art, Christmas Holidays, Christmas in Lapland, Dirty Talk, Instant Attraction, M/M, Northern Lights, Pencil, Sauna, fic with pics, ice-hotel, ice-sculpting, reindeer safari
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-26
Updated: 2015-12-26
Packaged: 2018-05-06 23:06:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5434226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merlocked18/pseuds/Merlocked18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Arthur owns a travel agency in London. He wants to find the best Christmas holiday travel destinations to offer his clients, and travels to Finnish Lapland  to do some research on what tourism businesses there can offer. He decides to undertake the journey at the busiest time of year, to get the genuine feel of a Christmas in Lapland. On his trip he meets a young man, who makes his quest so much more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	From Now On

**Author's Note:**

> There be fluff here, be warned. Fluff and Finnish stuff.  
> Thank you to the Winter Mods for such a lovely fest.

 

They meet for the first time mid-flight. Merlin goes to get up from his seat just as Arthur is about to pass the row Merlin's in. They bump into one another.

 

                                                     

The moment is rudely interrupted by a flight attendant with a trolley. Arthur is motioned forward, towards the rear of the cabin, and Merlin reluctantly settles back into his seat, but the connection has been established. Both can feel it. 

 

***

 

Turns out they are staying at the same hotel. They exchange names in the check-in queue. In twenty minutes Arthur is sitting where he can see the lifts and exit. Merlin emerges from one of the lifts a moment later, scans the room, spots Arthur, walks over to the bar and orders two Finnish lagers. He walks over, a brown bottle of Karhu in each hand.

"Want one?"

 

                                                  

 

 

They drink their beers. They don't talk. They just look at each other, unabashedly. Cheekbones. Lips. Eyes. The holy trinity, and both know what will happen. They grin at each other, hum knowingly, shake their heads in disbelief. Merlin pushes away his half-empty bottle, he is slightly dazed from the heavy lager. Arthur downs the last of his drink and gets up. 

"I'm in room 305," Arthur murmurs and leans over the table to hand Merlin a spare key card.

"O.K. Yeah," Merlin answers and pockets the key card.

 

***

 

 It's unbelievable, really, finding someone that just fits, but that is what's happened. Merlin is giggling. The snowmobile rattles and whirs beneath them. They barely take in the scenery, consumed by their connection.

"Are you sure you're warm enough, babe?" Arthur shouts over his shoulder.

 

                                                 

 

***

 

"Arthur, if I wasn't already so in love with you, this is the moment I would fall in love, okay? You should see the pic I've just taken," Merlin coos at his phone.

 

                                                   

"Stop making cow-eyes at Erica, Merlin" Arthur disengages from the the reindeer and reaches for Merlin's phone. Merlin surrenders it willingly and waits. 

"Erica looks like she is suffering a great injustice. My hugs aren't that bad, are they?" Arthur looks at Merlin. Merlin gnaws at his lip, trying not to grin.

"You are saying I'm a crap hugger."

"You weren't listening, Arthur," Merlin begins.

"Wait! You said something else entirely, didn't you?"

"I did."

 

***

 

 "There's this fantastic display of otherworldly wonder in the sky above, yet, I only have eyes for my little Inuit," Arthur narrates as he's filming.

 

                                     

 

"You're silly."

 

***

Merlin and Arthur take ice-sculpting class. Arthur's chisel gets stuck in his ice block.

                                                  

"Arthur?"

A sense of rightness floods Arthur. There is something about the moment that connects him with his past, his present and his future. Arthur has travelled far and wide, and now he knows why. He was meant to travel far north, at this particular time, to this crystal cave so that he might understand what he has been looking for all his life.

He turns to Merlin.

"Where the hell have you been all my lives, Merlin?"

"Arthur?"

"Well no matter. Please, marry me, this once?"

"Of course I will marry you, I will however not spend my wedding night in that awful ice hotel we visited earlier, I saw you ogling the brochures, " Merlin shivers for effect. Arthur had waxed poetic about spending the night in that cool cave of ice and snow.

                                             

 

"FIne! Wouldn't want your little bottom to freeze, would we?" Arthur invades Merlin's face space and steals a quick kiss, grinning. "So, you'll marry me then?"

"Yeah, I'll marry you, but my mum has to be present, so we'll do it back home, okay?"

"OK."

"I mean, GOD, I've known you like four days. She'll have a fit."

"OK."

"It's Christmas Eve. The chapels are booked. Finns celebrate Christmas tonight. So, we couldn't anyway, could we?" Merlin continues blabbing.

Arthur smirks.

"But, you would, if your mum was here and the chapels and churches were available...?"

Merlin stares at the icy floor and mumbles faintly.

"Pardon, I didn't quite catch that, Merlin." 

Merlin straightens and stares at Arthur almost defiantly "OfcourseIwouldmarryyouyouabsolutepratandloveliestmostperfectstupidman...." Merlin trails off, defeated. He is fucked. They both are completely and utterly fucked. No return.

Arthur hugs Merlin and Merlin hugs Arthur right back. It's perfect.

Merlin looks at the chisel over Arthur's shoulder. "What were you going to make anyway?"

"A heart, " is Arthur's muffled reply into Merlin's parka.

"For me?" Merlin nuzzles at Arthur's cheek.

"No, for that guy at the hotel bar who looks like Richard Dean Anderson when he still had a mullet."

Merlin kick's Arthur in the shin.

"From now on, Merlin, you will always have my heart," Arthur kisses the lobe of Merlin's ear. "Jesus, it's cold!"

"Does this mean we can go back to the hotel and have sex in the on-suite sauna again?" Merlin looks hopeful.

***

"Gods...mmmgh..."

 "Mmm, fuckyeah, don't stop. The Finns do everything...important in the sauna...give birth, in the old days it was the most hygienic place, presidents have...held meetings naked together, fuuckk, gods, Arthur..."

"Merlin, you're just a fountain of...mmmm...information, but, please, can you just shut up...fuuuckkk..."

"PraaAAAAAAHHHH... Mmmm. Gods, that was good."

"I love Finland."

The End

 

 


End file.
